The Thing About Happiness
by DealingDearie
Summary: Storm is feeling the aftermath of so many deaths around her, and Kurt has an inexplicable way of making her day better. Set after Xavier's death in 'The Last Stand'. Feedback is always appreciated.


Storm didn't date, and she definitely didn't fall in love, and anything before or after that was absolutely foreign to her.

She was steady, kind for the children's sake and stoic to keep unwanted attention at bay, and she let other people think what they did-if only for the sake of avoiding those penetrating stares. Her mutation could be hidden away easily, and the snowy color of her hair could be passed off as a strange hair dye decision, and the shifting color of her eyes could perhaps be blamed on contacts.

That didn't changed the fact, though, that Storm _created_ storms, that the weather was inexplicably tied to her mood, but only when she lost control did it show. And she lost control-a lot. Death made her lose control, made her horribly unaware of her fowling mood as she cried into her pillow, or as she stood on a balcony overlooking a beautiful garden, only to find herself thinking of a few certain people who would _never_ see it again.

That always got to her.

And then there was stress. Stress was a slow killer, and the struggle of finding a comfortable moment while being the headmaster of Xavier's school was a tough one. Taking care of so many children, with so much responsibility on her shoulders, pulled Ororo down farther than she wanted to admit, and the heavy burden she carried only got heavier as the days turned into months.

Then, of course, there was her lack of a love life-not that it bothered her _that_ much, but she _was_ a little frustrated with it, with how the fellow mutants of the school found significant others like it was as easy as blinking, or how Jean and Scott (had) found solace in one another.

_Had._ That's usually where Storm draws the line, too overcome with sorrow and sobs to think of anything else, but today is different.

Today, she's nearly giddy, just barely concealing her wide grin as she sits in her room, looking out her window at the clear sky above, the sun peeking through the clouds like a shy child taking a small glance out at the world.

Yes, Ororo Munroe is _happy_, happier than she's been in a long time, and the reason comes down to a single person-Kurt Wagner, otherwise known as the Incredible Nightcrawler, formerly of the Munich Circus.

Her day didn't start out happy, of course, but the man has a way with things that she just can't quite figure out.

Storm had been so sad, swallowing her tears and muffling her sniffles as she hurried down the hall to her room, when she heard the pitter patter of raindrops bouncing off the roof of the mansion. Instant guilt filled her as she saw, through the window, children rushing inside from their previous activities, abandoning Frisbees and bicycles alike to seek out shelter from the downpour, and she tried to clear the skies so they could return to their fun, but to no avail. Her mood, along with the weather, didn't lighten up, and she sighed as she continued the trek to her room, murmuring to herself about how pathetic she was acting.

Flashes of Jean and Scott invaded her thoughts and the Professor smiled in her mind, his hands resting on the arms of his wheelchair. Storm couldn't keep her grief silenced any longer, and broke into ugly sobs as she covered her face with her hands, ignoring the few children walking down the hall as she started a fast paced walk, trying desperately to make it to her room without becoming a hiccupping mess of tears.

And then she heard the singing.

It stopped her in her tracks, keeping her attention long enough for her to cease her crying and glance out at the window, where lightning flashed in the sky, illuminating the school grounds below. Her dark eyes fell upon a lone form, seated at one of the various benches strewn about the place, taking shelter beneath a nearby tree as the droplets beat harshly down on him.

The song was hushed, but the lilting tunes flared up with a heavy accent at random moments, and Ororo felt her heartbeat quicken at the realization of his identity. She quickly made it to the front of the school, hurrying out the door while ignoring the heavy rain, avoiding mud puddles as she made her way over to Kurt, who sat calmly amidst the storm.

When she finally got close enough to see the carefully etched runes upon his indigo skin, she realized that he was soaking wet, thick drops of water rolling down his face and dripping from his dark hair, the blackened clouds above casting shadows that nearly smothered his skin within them as his golden eyes glowed, half concealed by his lashes. She crossed her arms and stared down at Kurt, but he paid her no mind, and his singing died down to a melodic humming, his rosary beads clutched tightly in his three fingered hands.

"What are you doing out here, Kurt?" Storm asked incredulously, her brow furrowed as she frowned in concern, the wind making her shiver and wrap her jacket more securely around her torso. "You'll make yourself sick, sitting out in this mess."

He looked up, then, and the glint of his fangs was just barely noticeable as he gave her a small smile, blinking away the rain in his eyes.

"Ja, I know," he murmured, the corners of his lips curling up with each word until he was full on grinning, his tail curling around one of the bench's legs, the spade-shaped tip twitching with the movement. Storm gave him a funny look and sat down next to him, tilting her head, white strands of her drenched hair falling into her eyes as she blinked at him, squinting in the rain.

"Is something wrong?"

Kurt turned his head to look at her and frowned, and Storm was surprised by the loss she felt because of it, the absence of his smile feeling like something tangible that was taken from her. He sighed, and Ororo could see the sadness in his eyes when he stared at her.

"Nein," he said, eyes roaming from her face to look up at the crying sky. "But shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Storm gave a huff of exhaustion and looked away, grinding her teeth together in frustration when she tried to quell the rain a second time-with no positive results. She could feel his gaze boring in on her but ignored the sensation, and instead opted on trying to calm herself and her spiraling thoughts, not noticing the way Kurt's face fell with concern when she didn't look at him again.

"The people you lost wouldn't want you to be this way, Ororo. Surely you know that."

She gave him a withering look and immediately regretted it-showing Kurt anything but friendliness tended to make him shut down, like he was shielding himself from whatever hostilities were to come, and she wondered (not for the first time) whether anyone had been so mean to him as to cause such habits.

His expression all but disappeared, and the gleam in his eyes dimmed-but maybe she only imagined it-and he shook his head, the curling strands of his hair shaking slightly as he got up to leave.

"I didn't mean to intrude," he said plainly, already walking away from her.

He always said that, she was beginning to notice. When Logan would tell him to shut up about his circus experience, or when the children would give him a collective glare when he accidentally talked louder than the highest volume on the TV, or when he got funny looks because he liked to hang up high by the ceiling when they happened to have private conversations below him-he'd always apologize and say that exact same thing, as if causing the people around him strife was something he had to instantly feel guilt for.

She left her seat in a heartbeat, hurrying to catch up to him, and she grabbed his arm to stop him, turning him around with an apologetic look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-I didn't mean anything by it." She ran a slick hand through her tangled hair and closed her eyes with a sigh. "I know that. I'm just having a hard day-a hard past few months, really. Everything's so hectic and Jean and Scott and the Professor-I'm just having a hard time, that's all," she explained quickly, hoping to wipe that look off of his face.

She glanced up at him and blinked, remembering.

"Why are you out here, anyway?" Ororo asked, curiously tilting her head up at him as his skin darkened with what she thought was a blush, his eyes suddenly downcast as the rejected look on his face morphed into one of suppressed embarrassment.

"I don't mind the rain so much, you know," he swallowed and gave her a weak smile, nervously running his fingers over his rosary beads, "and the weather-well, I wanted to get as acquainted with it as you are."

She stared at him, confusion written all over her face, and he laughed down at her, but Ororo couldn't shake off the impression that he was actually laughing at himself. "I just wanted to know why the sky cries along with you," he murmured, gesturing to the drying tears on her cheeks, "and thought that if I could figure _that_ out, then I could find a way-that is, try, at least-to cheer you up."

He gave a lopsided smile and let it fall as she didn't respond, and he looked up as the rain began to slow its descent, blinking at the clouds as they started to part for the sun's presence.

"You…wanted to cheer me up?" Storm asked, one eyebrow raised as he looked back down at her. "Not a very good way of doing it, I'll admit," he said between half-hearted laughs, and she found herself starting to smile along with him, at his awkward laughter and blushing face, his inadvertent way of making her day that much better.

"You shouldn't let your grief cloud your happiness."

And it was so unexpected that she looked up at him sharply, shaking her head and preparing to reply with how _bad_ her day had actually been, when he put his hand up to stop her.

"When you let your sorrow get in the way, you'll look up one day and realize how many good things have passed you by, and you'll never be able to get them back."

With that, he smiled at her, the kind that lights up a room in seconds, his eyes glowing down at her as the sunshine finally cascaded upon them, and his tail swished happily back and forth as he walked past her, continuing his song in a language she would never entirely understand.

Storm smiled, then, and turned to watch him leave, his trench coat swaying as he walked back, barefoot against the muddy ground, and when he got to the school's entrance, he took great care to wipe his feet off completely before entering, and she laughed as he disappeared from her view, her heart still pounding from the feel of him next to her.

And so, she's happy, if only because not every friend she's ever known is lost to her, and because, for once, Ororo can find the kind of solace she's never had before-all by looking into those yellow eyes.

It didn't rain for the rest of the day-or the rest of the week, for that matter-because she would be on the brink of a bad day and look up, only to see Kurt hanging from a swaying chandelier or ancient rafter, eyes widening as they made eye contact, and he'd laugh nervously-once, twice, before breaking out into a wide grin as he waved at her-and she'd smile, returning the gesture and walking on, her heart thumping wildly, her cheeks warm with blood.

Happy-maybe there was a better term, but she couldn't think of one-and in desperate need of learning German.

**Please R&R! Feedback is always appreciated! I wanted to write Kurt's accent, but the hesitation (because knowing me, I'd do it wrong) outweighed the desire to do so. **

**All rights go to their respectful owners.**

**Who thinks Nightcrawler should be in 'Days of Future Past'? xD**


End file.
